Furnace



Jan. 26' 1926. 1,570,712

W. H. SOMMER FURNACE Ifiled Nov. 21 1923 Q F N m In. um I 4 Sheejcs-Sheet 2-- 1""i F "Tm WI :1 1 L b. .3. i U

'11 f lml" mm" J2 LEV-ENTER- Jan.v26 1926.

w. H. SOMMER Filed Nov. 21 1923 FURNACE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN'SZ'ENTDR.

Patented Jan. 26, 1926,

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. SUMMER, OF PEORIA; ILLINOIS.

FURNACE.

Application-filed November 21,1923. Serial no; 676387 To alt whom it may concern. I p

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. SOMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing. at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have in ented new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

- his invention has reference to furnaces and it relates particularly to that type of furnace used for annealing metallic materials, such for instance as wire.

The invention has for its principal object a continuous annealing furnace 'and as such is distinguished from the ordinary or intermittent pot annealing furnaces.

A furtl'ier object of the invention is to provide an annealing furnace for wire wherein the range of temperature is designed to heat the wire gradually to the proper point and to reduce the temperature at a rate which will prevent scaling or oxidation when th wire is removed from the pots. v

A further object of the invention is to construct an annealing furnacefor wire with annealing chamber extending longitudinallv therethru flanked on either side by combustion chambers having ports communicating with the annealing chamber, the oppositeports' having a staggered arrangeluent whereby a swirling effect of the flame is created within the annealing chambendue to the construction and arrangement of the pots relatively to the location and arrangement of the staggered ports and the'location of the stacks at the end of the furnace.

That theinvention' may be more fully un'. derstood reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of'the description illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of an annealing furnace embodying my invention, the same being illustrated on agreatlyreduoed scale and owing to the extreme length broken away at either end;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section in plan of the furnace preferably take-n thrn the annealing chamber the combustion chambers and communicating fuel ports and in dotted linesareshowna plurality of" annealing pots arranged relatively .tothe ports to create the swirling effect of the flame therearound;

Fig. 3 is a detailed vertical sectional view as the same would" appear if taken on the Fig. 4C is a detailed sectional view as the same would appear if taken on the line 4t4= in Fig; 2, except that in this instance an annealing pot is shown in full line;

Fig. 5 i'siadetailed vertical sectional View as the same would appear if taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 also showing a front elevation'v of the fuel feeding mechanism disclosed in side elevation in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 6 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 1, except that it shows: a modified constructionof an annealing furnace embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view somewhat similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the modified construction shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detailed vertical sectional View as the same would appear if taken on the line 8.8 Fig. 7 except that the buggy and annealing pot is shown in full lines;

Fig. 9 is a detailed vertical sectional View as the same would appear if taken on the line 9+9 Fig. 7 and Fig. 10 .is a detailed vertical sectional view as the same would appear if taken on the line 10--10 Fig. 7.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts thruout the figures.

In both the preferred and modified forms of the structure the furnace is provided with the longitudinally. disposed annealing chamber 1 having. as side Walls 2 constructed of suitable refractories as is usual in structures of this character. The annealing chamber is openv at both ends and designed to be closed by the doors 3 movable preferably in av vertical direction in guides 4 and any suitable counterbalancing means 5 connected thereto, similar to devices of this character'now' in common use. At one end of the furnace, preferably that end in which the annealing pots are introduced the opposite walls 2of: the annealing chamber 1 are provided with". fines 6 communicating. with stacks 7, and said flues are in communication withltlie annealing chamber-11 by means ofoutle't ports 8 bests-sen in Fig. 3. p

' In the drawings I have: showntwo different arrangements of the combustion chambers on either sideof the annealing chamber, but in each" instance the fuel ports which are in communication with: the an nealing chamber have a staggered arrangement. the difference in the combustion chambers being that in the preferred form the combustion chambers on either side of the annealing furnace extend longitudinally of and parallel with the annealing chamber and in the modified form a plurality of combustion chambers are provided on either side of the annealing chamber, and of course are staggered relatively to each other in manner similar to the staggered arrangement of the fuel inlet ports. In the pre ferred form of combustion chambers the fuel feed mechanism is located at one end of such chambers and in the modified form the fuel feed mechanisms while located at the end of the combustion chambers are arranged on the sides of the furnace; these described arrangements being very clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7.

Describing the preferred form of the combustion chambers they are designated 9 being located between the opposite walls 2 of the annealing chamber and spaced parallel walls 10 and the end walls 11 which join the walls 2 and 10, all of which are constructed of suitable refractories common in practice of this kind. The combustion chambers 9 are in open communication with the annealing chamber 2 thru and by means of the fuel inlet ports 12 arranged in the walls 2. These fuel inlet ports may be of any number desired depending on the length and capacity of the furnace and may be spaced at any suitable distances apart; however, the ports 12 in the opposite Walls 2 are preferably in staggered arrangement as shown in Fig. 2 for purposes to be more fully explained. The fuel feed mechanism including preferably air and oil systems are located at one end of the combustion chambers 9. By reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 one .end wall 11 of each combustion chamber 9 is provided with a fire-box 12 preferably closed by a door 13 constituting the burners with which are connected the fuel systems including preferably the oil feed 14: and the air feed 15. Air is supplied thru a conduit 16 and the fuel oil may be supplied from any suitable source thru the feed pipe 17 The burners as well as the fuel feed mechanisms including the oil and air feeders may be of any suitable type, and while I have shown in a general way a preferred construction of fuel feed mechanism and bump ers, they constitute no part of my invention, and therefore need not be further illustrated or described.

The furnace walls may besupported and I braced by any suitable type of buckstay and tie rod construction.

The floor of the annealing chamber 1 shown. provided with a plurality of spaced and parallel arranged channels 18 serving as tracks upon which may be moved the buggies 19 supported on wheel trucks 20 movable in said channels. These buggies are preferably constructed with skeleton frame supports 21 upon which the coils of wire are supported and then covered by the drums 22, the buggies and the trucks constitute in general terms the annealing pots. The side walls 2 of the annealing chamber are constructed with the horizontally arranged ledges 23 forming guides for the annealing pots in their movement thru the an nealing chamber, and also to retard and hold back the products of combustion from the trucks of the annealing pots.

It will of course be understood that to introduce and remove the annealing pots the doors 3 must be raised and that the annealing pots are introduced into the furnace in succession, one after the other, the succeeding pots engaging the preceding and next adjacent pot, and in this manner they are moved along the tracks thru the furnace. In practice it may be preferable that as one annealing pot is introduced into the furnace the annealing pot at the opposite end is ejected, or the annealing chamber may be filled with annealing pots and the entire equipment removed at one time and others supplied. The introduction and ejection of the annealing pots being a matter of practice and left to the judgment of the operator using the furnace.

l/Vhen the annealing chamber is supplied with the annealing pots they assume respectively and substantially the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 with the spaces between the adjacent pots alternately in line with the staggered fuel inlet ports 12 in the opposite walls of the annealing chamber. In this way the flame emitted into the annealing chamber is caused to assume a swirling action and completely surrounds the annealing pots; or in other words, the pots are completely engulfed in flame the products of combustion moving toward the discharge end of the furnace and out thru the stacks 7. With the'arrangement just described, of the fuel inlet ports and the annealing pots, such pots upon being introduced into the furnace are subjected toa temperature somewhat less than that in the main body of the furnace and considerably higher than at the exit end thereof. This range of tempera tures as previously pointed out, is designed to heat the wire gradually to the proper point, and to reduce the temperature at a rate which will eliminate scaling and oxidation upon the removal of the wire from the pots.

In Figs. 6 to 10 both inclusive, 1 have shown, as previously stated, a modified arrangement of the combustion chambers. In this structure, instead of having combustion chambers extending longitudinally of and on either side of the annealing chamber, I provide a plurality of transversely arranged combustion chambers 23, the chambers in the opposite walls having a staggered arrangement and each communicating with the annealing chamber thru and by means of the fuel inlet ports 12, which are staggered in manner substantially as shown in Fig. 2. The combustion chambers 23 are built on the dutch oven plan, each having a firebox 24, and using substantially the same construction and arrangement of burners and fuel feed mechanisms previously described.

In other respects the furnace illustrated in Fig. 6 to Fig. 10 both inclusive is substantially the same as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

hat I claim is 1. In a continuous annealing furnace, in combination, an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thru the furnace, combustion chambers on either side of said annealing chamber, fuel inlet ports in staggered arrangement in the opposite walls of said annealing chamber and in communication with the combustion chambers, said inlet ports being located at relatively considerable distances from the ends of the annealing chamber and exhaust stacks at the material inlet end of said furnace and on opposite sides thereof, the arrangement of fuel inlet ports and stacks creating a swirling action 'of the flame emitted from said fuel inlet ports about the material being annealed.

2. In acontinuous annealing furnace, in combination, an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thru the furnace, combustion chambers on e'ther side of said annealing chamber, a plurality of fuel inlet ports in each of the opposite walls of said annealing chamber in communication with the combustion chambers, said inlet ports being located at relatively considerable distances from the ends of the annealing chamat the material discharge end of said furnace.

3. In a continuous annealing furnace, in combination, an annealing'chamber extending longitudinally thru the furnace, combustion chambers on either side of said .annealing chamber, a plurality of fuel inlet ports in each of the opposite walls of said annealing chamber in communication with said combustion chambers, said inlet ports being locatedat relatively considerable distances from the ends of the annealing chamber the ports in the opposite walls being arranged in staggered relation to eachother, and means for exhausting the products of combustion from one end of the annealing chamber and from opposite sides of the annealing chamber, said fuel inlet ports and exhausting means being related so as to create a swirling action of the flame about the material being .annealed, and to create av temperature at one end of the furnace which is less than that in the main body of the annealing chamber and greater than that at the opposite end of the furnace.

Signed at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, this 14th day of November A. D. 1923.

WILLIAM H. SOMMER. 

